❪ event ❫ a moment in eternity

[natha]

TO THERE AND BACK     It has been a month of chills uncharacteristic of what you might remember as summer — cold days and even colder nights. The days are short and the nights feel eternal. With the recent disruption of the network and no sign of a resolution for the world outside of Nadril, one has to wonder what the future holds for El Nysa. What of Olympia, Wyver, and their residents? The animals you cared for - are they destined to remain as frozen as wretched Ysverai forever? What will become of the sleeping ones in Thesa when there is nowhere else to go but this icy city? Yet not all hope is lost just yet. The woman that appeared at the start of the network errors finally shows up again in another network post. Greetings to you all. I apologize for my abrupt appearance and departure before… My name is Nurray, and I am the closest thing to a monarch that you will find here in Nadril. Magda is... indisposed, so I am here to speak to you in his place. First and foremost, you will notice that your network devices are fully functional once more. Should you experience any further issues, please report them to me immediately so that it can be taken care of. Secondly… Investigating the strange frequency interference we've been experiencing has brought some troubling data to light. The passage of time outside of this colony has been halted, of course, but the hold seems... unstable. Whatever it is that Darma has done to contain the calamity, I doubt that it will last for long. Time is an unpredictable force, and attempting to control it can only have adverse effects on the world. You could stay here if you so chose, outside the reach of that magic... but to do that would be to abandon the rest of this planet to an unenviable fate. ...ah, but there is no need to take my word for it. You can see the effects for yourselves, if you wish — merely look outside. "Seeing is believing"... isn’t that the phrase? Nurray has a point: refugees have not been given a chance to see the outside. The frequent snowstorm barrier of Nadril has made it impossible to see what it's like beyond the colony. Soon after the network post, as though the snow has been "turned off," clouds will clear. With the barrier created by the snow gone, the red sun shines brightly upon the dreary city with its warmth. You can see a purple haze on the south horizon, a indication that Yservai wasn’t all just a dream. He's still there, so far away, yet so close anyway. Near the entrance, a mound of snow melts, revealing steps leading towards the underground. It seems to be a part of the subway station you might have found earlier during your exploration of the colony — this time, the station has been powered on. Two trains lie in wait — their destinations read: Olympia and Wyver. — El Nysa is waiting. FREEZE FRAME     The technology found in the subway station of Nadril is truly out of this world. The combined efforts of Natha technology and alien minds have truly created state-of-the-art transportation never before seen by the typical Nysan. It takes no longer than one hour for the intercoms to announce their arrival to the outskirts of the Dranbu Kingdom — though, even with the platform available, the train never stops; it instead continues for another half hour for it to reach the North Gate of the Olympian Empire, where it sits until it's time to return to the tundra. All in all, it takes a mere hour and a half for this high-speed subway travel from Nadril to Olympia. The second train does make a quick stop at the Olympian Station, but it will be another painless hour and a half until it reaches the jungle of the Wyver Kingdom. Because Wyver is its own island, connected only by a bridge, you might notice that a small part of the travel was underwater. The trip takes only a total of three hours, but there's plenty of time for sightseeing. After all, isn't that the whole point of this trip? BE STILL MY HEART. Leaving the train, you are immediately hit with the still, warm air of the underground. It's hot, much different from the winter of the north, but perhaps a welcome change. The station is old, but it still has a fairly new smell to it, and not just because it's been unused for so long. It feels out of place compared to the rest of this world, and this is especially true when you reach the surface. The entrance was hidden under the earth right near the North Gate. Upon leaving the station, you're immediately hit with the familiar wretched smell and atmosphere of the undead. Even if you're new, you won’tt be able to miss Ysverai, the risen Great Dragon. You see this massive creature on the horizon, mouth wide and ready to blast El Nysa into nothing. Yet he remains still — as are all the terrified residents of Olympia. You've only seen this on the monitors of Thesa Station, and now you're able to experience first-hand how utterly quiet and still the world is now. The native Olympians are all over — you see most of them running away from the Great Dragon. Others equipped their armors and rode their steeds straight toward the danger in hopes of protecting their Empire. And the civilians, having lost all hope, are huddled together — at least they would have been able to spend their final moments with loved ones. Up on Thesa Station, you felt dread when you'd observed Ysverai for too long — this remains true here. That dread reaches your heart and clutches it. You feel his pain and suffering, and for those too in tune with emotions, it may be too much for you to be near him. Best to steer clear from him, or perhaps return to the underground. There is much more to be seen, after all. PRAYING WITH FIRE. Another hour and a half south on the subway, and you'll reach the Wyver Station. It's far warmer here in the station this further south, but Ysverai's dread doesn't reach here. On the surface, you are instead immediately hit with the overwhelming humidity of the jungle. With summer in full swing, the layers you've brought with you from Nadril become a burden. In Wyver, the mood is far different. The Great Dragon Yservai was once a being that was respected and worshipped by the Wyver people — not to mention that the one responsible is none other than Prince Raysc — thus his revival is met with somber resilience. Most of Wyver natives, instead of running away, had gathered around fires in prayer. Trained dragons that were unaffected by Ysverai's influence bow by their master's sides in acceptance of what they feel in their heart is to come with the Great Dragon's final blow. You may even spot your own dragon, eyes beamed up toward Thesa, like it knows you were up there at the moment time stood still. It's hard to imagine where one can go from here. You might start thinking about clean-up efforts, how to achieve proper burials for the fallen ones... but with time frozen, you will find that you cannot actually move anything or anyone. It will be dusk, as Thesa's shines across the skies, when storm cloud gather before Thesa's light. And from the clouds is a familiar figure — Once again, she has descended. TIME & TIME AGAIN     Darma is glowing as bright as the naked eye can perceive. Her massive, true form floats before the world she's built from dust. Is this world salvageable in your eyes, Refugee? We held time in hopes that we fould find a way to dissolve this Ysverai back to the ashes from which he was reanimated. Unfortunately, we continue to be unseeing, thus uncertain of the future... after all, our powers are near depleted. Nurray was correct, Refugee, in that I cannot hold time for much longer. There is... another way, however. It is not ideal by any means, but we shall do what we must to keep Ysverai frozen. As for us... we have expended far too much of our energy — Refugee, I am too aware of the misfortunes you've experienced in your time here. I have failed in my promise to provide better living... perhaps, with more time, I may yet see a better future. Until then, I leave Thesa, our hearts, in your hands. Farewell, Refugee. Her brightness dims as she says her final words — at the same time, raises her arms, palms wide, then closes her hands into a fist. In that instant, time is resumed. It's slow at first, as though time is trying to catch up with reality. It takes a several moments until the slow-motion picture before them reaches normalcy. Darma turns her attention to Yservai, whose motion is also returning, but not for long. In her true form, they are comparable in size; Darma's glow continues to dim as she draws closer to the Great Dragon, and then she coils herself around him, holding him still before assimilating into the wretched creature. By the end of it, time has completely returned to normal, and all residents were able to witness the Natha holding time still for Ysverai — The process turns the Great Dragon, as well as Darma, into stone. HIT PLAY TO REPLAY     Darma has resumed time, and Ysverai is no longer a threat. However, it comes with a hefty price for the Natha. The massive, stone statue of Darma embracing Ysverai looms in the valley between the cities of Olympia and Wyver. It's no doubt an intimidating addition to the world, but there is some peace in knowing it's all over. When civilians finally come to, they can't help but look upon the statue in awe — and their respective cities. It's much to take in all at once. Much destruction has been wrought— buildings lay in ruin, and of the citizens still alive, many look to be in poor physical condition. 1. I. The Sanctuary has sustained much damage, and with the high demand of medical care, cannot serve as the central healing place for those in need. Instead, it is up to individual citizens to find resources and establish places of care. Those with a medical inclination or healing powers may set up medical tents, or work out of their homes. Not everything has been destroyed, and it is still possible to obtain supplies from the market or request them from The Sanctuary. There is also, unfortunately, the tragic task of transporting corpses to graveyards and giving fallen citizens a proper burial. The Temples thank you for your service. II. In order to have a functioning city again, buildings and facilities must be repaired and rebuilt. It's possible your own home was demolished in the battle. With so many important buildings needing to be repaired, city officials are too overwhelmed with the coordination of such tasks to double-check that buildings are restored to their original form. What's more, they seem to encourage design innovation, believing that a new, fresh look to the city will revitalize people's morale. Now is the time to put your own unique flair on the interior or exterior of Olympia's infrastructure. Even parts of the Palace need repair. Time has resumed, yes, but the magic that Darma employs isn't flawless. As powerful of an entity as she may be, to tamper with time is difficult. Some would say it defies the laws of nature. Nature seems to agree, and in the next few weeks, El Nysa will be facing a few hiccups as it finds its equilibrium once more and citizens try to return to normalcy. Strangely enough, El Nysa natives are not disturbed by the occurrence of these events. III. Characters may find that they occasionally (or frequently) suffer from lapses in memory. These difficulties with memory may range from light to severe, although they are thankfully not permanent. Within the span of a few minutes to a few hours, difficulties in remembering people and events are resolved. That isn't to say a similar problem won’t happen again tomorrow… IV. Is it just you, or is your housemate looking a bit old lately? No, it isn't just stress making some citizens appear older. For a short amount of time, some characters may find themselves advancing or regressing in age, both physically and mentally. This particular kind of time hiccup is rare and may be particularly disturbing to the affected person’s friends. Thankfully, there have been no cases of this effect lasting more than an hour. V. At times, it seems as though objects and people in El Nysa will feel a bit out of place. These are beings and things that belong to what some may call "alternate universes." Their presence is transient, and some will only appear for a few instances before returning to their rightful existence. The ones that linger a bit longer, however, may make your day more interesting. Before you stands a pet just like yours, except it talks...? Perhaps you'll meet another version of yourself, a more bloodthirsty version of yourself. Or maybe you'll run into a version of your friend that really enjoys your company. The possibilities are truly endless, and potentially mortifying. VI. Towards the end of the month, the frequency of the aforementioned disturbances will decrease. Following this will be an increase in a different sort of disturbance: one that will either make literal seconds seem like an eternity, or force you to move and talk at a speed you never thought possible. It's as though some higher entity is pressing the fast forward or slow down button on life, and considering your mind works at the same pace as normal, the phenomenon is as frustrating as it sounds. Hope you weren't planning to be on time for anything, because it might be awhile before the universe allows you to take that next step. But these phenomena does draw to a close — and with it, you may wonder what will happen now to those sleeping ones in Thesa now that Darma has turned to stone. After all, it will be near the time of which more refugees should wake... Repairs to Thesa Station should remain ongoing so long as parts can be salvaged from Nadril, at least. And with speed travel via subway possible, it should make travel far easier than ever before. Even with Darma gone, you will have to move forward. There is still much to be done. FINAL OOC NOTES     You may acquire REP for Nadril, and either Olympia or Wyver in this log. An AC-eligible thread for ONE (1) NADRIL REP POINT may be submitted HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. A second AC-eligible thread for 1 REP for either Olympia OR Wyver may be submitted HERE OR HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. Please direct questions to the questions thread below! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[yelliot]

_{[He doesn't know she's a princess, of course. He's more or less just giving her the role because she's a girl...]}

Well...yeah, if I'm about to die you should help me! But not if it means you'll get hurt!

[yelliot]

T-THEN DON'T CALL ME A BRAT!

_{[Clearly this isn't going anywhere...]}

[winecasks]

[ Grantaire has a kind soul, but he never allows those kindnesses to extend to himself. He views himself as largely useless, and on most days he allows those feelings to swallow him whole. With the rare exception, it’s only in the presence of Enjolras that he becomes something more, or at least feels the desire to be something more.

They are friends. Enjolras has solidified that, but Grantaire is miserable and drunk and when he’s miserable and drunk, he dwells on things. ]

You are far kinder a friend than I deserve.

[He stumbles and feels blindly for a seat, his head still clutched in his head. Eventually, he does find a chair and takes up refuge in it, still wondering woefully how his alcohol tolerance became so low. ]

Thank you for your company. I appreciate it more than I can say. Perhaps I will be able to say more, when the world is not spinning.

[yelliot]

_{[It is a very cute name...too bad his sister would smack him upside the head if she knew he'd named a cat after her.]}

Splitting up doesn't seem so bad of an idea. You're right that we'd cover more ground this way.

_{[He'll just hand over the treats.]}

You might have better luck with these.

[jesus_is_gundam]

I'm not a robot. [What he actually is, though, is a far more complicated thing. It's also something that he decides not to get into for the moment, opting to introduce himself instead.]

My name is Setsuna F. Seiei. What's yours?

[jesus_is_gundam]

Yeah, we hadn't advanced that far yet. [Granted, they could leave Earth, but they really hadn't gone that far. At most, there were a few colonies, and and a handful of research stations at the outer edge of the solar system, but that was it.

And even if they could go further...]

We weren't ready.

[winecasks]

[ Honestly, he doesn’t see the point in arguing with that. It would take more energy to argue than it would to just go along with it, and he doesn’t have to pretend to be a follower. However… ]

A drink first, perhaps. I never do anything before I’ve had a drink. It makes me much more amiable, I assure you.

[jesus_is_gundam]

[It's a trudge to the linear catapult, and even then, it still takes a few tries to get the suit situated perfectly. The Alaya-Vijnana substitute and Barbatos' stubbornness refuse him precision control, though he can still manage to keep it from lumbering too much.]

Launching!

[The thrusters still fire on command, but its still an uneven burst. When he leaves the station, the suit pulls off course, refusing the flight path set. Even when he can set it back on course, Barbatos still rolls and yaws, forcing one course correction after another. If Mikazuki is curious enough to watch, he'd see Setsuna, with a whole lifetime of piloting, looking like a complete novice out there, like he's just one breath away from the suit spiraling out of his control.

It doesn't, though.

He's learning how to handle the beast, even if its caged and muzzled and thrashing against his restraints the whole time. Every moment, he's taking in more information. He's already figured out where the mismatch in thruster output is coming from, but its the smaller things he still takes note of. From the way the Ahab waves blunt the kick of the g-forces as he speeds up, the amount of propellant he uses each passing second, the amount of telemetry data still being shove at him, even if it bumps up against the ELS firewall. He can even hear the hum of the pair of Ahab reactors in the chassis behind him.]

A twin drive system...

[He compensates for the shortcomings, though its still a far cry from having control. He still presses, however, and challenging both himself and Barbatos as he heads straight into an approaching asteroid field. Going through it should be child's play for him, and he can already spot several different routes to take. But as he traverses it, the difficuly ramps up on him, and the lag between himself starts to have a greater effect. What should be a clean pass around an asteroid becomes a near miss, and because he has to compensate for it, it throws off the next turn and the next. A near miss becomes a narrow scrape, and as he pulls away from that, the shoulder of Barbatos smashes through a hunk of space rock.

The spiral he gets sent into after that could've ended in disaster, but he knocks another smaller asteroid out of the way, before using his claws to dig in and drag along the surface of a larger asteroid, the friction draining and absorbing enough of his momentum that he ends with a hard landing on the surface of a meteorite.

He's quiet for a moment as he takes full stock of the situation. With time and practice, he could get better, and master all of the faults of the suit. But time isn't something he has right now, and rather than simply overcome the faults of the machine, he decides to address the root cause of them directly.

The ELS inside him, he can feel their concern. They worry about him, and worry that his quantum brainwaves won't be able to handle what he's asking them to do. But they know him well enough to know when he's made up his mind about something. So, bit by bit, they start to break down the firewall between Barbatos and Setsuna, allowing the free flowing of data between them.

The Meister may not believe in God, but he's willing to give this devil what it wants.]

[sparsity]

[ Lucky him, he gets that look a lot. It just seems to ping harmlessly off his thick skull. ]

Yeah. He doesn't have the implant like me. But it's working, somehow.

[ Even if Mikazuki is using the term "working" loosely — Barbatos looks like it's having a struggle, all exhausted and stilted movement, like a disobedient dog on a short leash. Something about having another pilot isn't jiving with it as well as having Mikazuki at the controls.

Tekkadan never had the luxury of a large fighting force, and so their mobile suits had been repeatedly reconfigured between pilots. Only Barbatos and Gusion were different. ]

Deathscythe operates manually, right?

[motivation]

[ yalena frowns at rocket. it's not even that he's a talking animal, though that is strange, but — she's never been free. she can't imagine it. ]

That's not true. [ she says after a moment, slow, shoulder hunching. it can't be. even if he's not here, he'll come for her. she has to go back to the harem somehow. ]

[motivation]

[ he remembers, but relief comes slowly and tentatively. can she trust this? the answer is probably no and dutch hates that. he stays close and so she doesn't move away; it's not like they haven't shared close quarters before.

this is different. ]

Yeah? Well, where the fuck was that?

[conqueredhearts]

I should be just fine.

[He laughs and sets the beams down near him where he can reach then lifts the beams they're working on back up into place.]

Let me know when you need one of the new ones.

[conqueredhearts]

[He gives him such a warm smile as he nods.]

You don't realize that you've actually figured out exactly why I want to be human again. I am powerful like this. I could do anything I wished and conquer the universe. But where would the pleasure and satisfaction be? No, I want to be just as small and weak as everyone around me. To have the same limitations as any human. To achieve greatness with those odds would be glorious and worthy of great tales and song.

[sparsity]

[ Once aboard, he follows, rounding the same set of seats. ]

I don't like that Barbatos wasn't enough.

[ To put it back in the ground ten times over, like he's used to. Normally unflappable to most things, Mikazuki actually seems sort of... pissed? About it.

Sure, staring at the thing probably won't do much either, but he still feels like he has a responsibility to re-kill it. ]

[impavid]

Yeah, but you're not.

[ He reaches out with his free hand, grabs for Prior's arm danging over the edge and pulls. He's expecting him to resist enough that he won't fall straight over, but he's at least kind enough that if he does he'll try to catch him so that he doesn't drop straight onto his head. ]

[priorly]

[Of course Prior catches himself - all it takes it bringing a foot down to hook against the opposite side of the ledge. Which means all John wins is a gasp and a laugh as he pulls Prior all of a few inches further forward. Enough to cause a rush of blood to the head and a fierce, upside down grin.]

And you're gonna what, kill me for it?

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto drops his arm to let the other man slip away and open the door. Shuffling inside after him and on towards his own bed to drop his bag beside it as well. Glancing around the little place and trying to picture what other sort of living quarters they might be able to afford, given a little more effort.

He flicks a smile at the other man's reminder and just barely holds back the reply of yes, dad. Much as the comment may be warranted, perhaps he'd better not.

"I'll manage something," he replies. "Do you suppose anyone's hiring in the midst of all this?" Though he supposes a lot of positions might need replacements for some of their workers, as awful a thought as that may be.

[torchwoodteaboy]

[Ianto glances aside at the other man, folding his hands in his lap and sitting forward to rest his elbows against his knees. Watching the sun set. It's pretty poetic and Ianto's just the right shade of melancholy to appreciate it as well.]

I don't think so. It's not like there's a written rule, just because it's supposedly gone you're just supposed to forget about it. Isn't it better, to be able to remember it all?

[He turns to glance at the other man over his shoulder, before sitting back up to ask:] Tell me what you enjoyed about it.

[thedarkbond]

If they were going to attack people anyway, why didn't he just keep them as wyrms... [Wyrms are another kind of dragon, right, that sounds way more threatening. Even if he has nothing against canaries, who wouldn't be interested in someone who had dragons following him around?

He prods himself off that line of thought before too long, anyway, because there was something else he wanted to ask.] Were you part of a circus? It sounds like it must've been a pretty impressive one with stories like that.

[He has a certain fondness for the circus born of one of his best friends using a circus-themed deck and training herself in circus skills, though he's definitely not letting that personal attachment show through easily.]

[thedarkbond]

Well, if you say so. [It doesn't do much to explain what he actually is, though, so Ren just shrugs.] I'm Suzugamori Ren, but just Ren is fine. Is there a reason you're handing out flowers? I mean, you don't really need one since flowers are always nice to get, but I was wondering.

[Clearly the flower handing out is going to be part of some encompassing nefarious scheme. Or something.]

[thedarkbond]

[That's quite possibly the best way he could've chosen to explain to make Ren understand the sentiment immediately. As someone who is willing enough to dominate but much prefers the struggle of crushing someone in order to get there, that idea immediately makes Ren perk up a bit before he smiles slightly in understanding.]

Oh, I get it now. It is pretty boring to just be able to step straight to the top without any kind of challenge to get there. The struggle for victory and finding people worthy to fight you is the best part~

[He says that in the same upbeat tone as ever, as if it's an entirely normal sentiment for anyone to express.]

[impavid]

John toes the door closed once Ianto is through, shrugs off his jacket and drops to sit and unlace his boots.

"Hiring? Sure. Hiring for a permanent paid position? That's different. There's bound to be something, might be a whole lot of short, temp stints though while everyone gets things back up and running."

Setting aside his boots John forces himself back to his feet, ambles into the kitchen and opens the fridge to fish for a drink.

"War is good for business."

John kicks the fridge closed, grabs a bottle opener and turns to gesture at Ianto with it.

"Peace is also good for business."

[impavid]

I'm a stranger you met in a dark alleyway. You probably shouldn't be trusting me.

[ Maybe he is a murderer, Prior! You wouldn't know! ]

[priorly]

You'd be surprised the number of people I meet this way.

[No, John probably would. Gay cruising is a strange and illicit experience, and much riskier than inviting awkward boys into fire escapes. But Prior's 18, and immortal, and far too keen to throw himself into whatever welcoming dangers there are, just to feel alive.]

And they don't even have such kind eyes.

[hedonistic]

[The facility feeds him more or less exactly as much as necessary to not have kids starving to death there tbh. There's only so much that can be justified without a PR crisis, after all.

Kagari follows obediently after Juno, only looking up to meet his eyes when spoken to. He nods, mechanically. Might as well play along; he's probably going to die soon, after all.]

Okay, Juno-san.

[It's in that same resigned tone. Eventually, they make their way to a stall, and when Juno finally hands him something, he stares at it for a long moment, like he's scared. No matter how tired he might be of life, confronting the actual moment of mortality is terrifying, and a couple of traitorous tears leak out as he takes a bite into what he honestly assumes is probably spiked with some manner of poison. It isn't the typical way of executing people in the facility, but nothing about this situation has been typical, from the moment he came to and found the sun in his eyes.

When nothing happens, he looks up at Juno again, confused. Searches his face for a reaction.]